Edit: Second part of Chapter One now added. This is still a rough draft, so I’d appreciate any feedback I can get to turn it into a polished piece.

One

Selena dropped the pot at the sound of a knock at the front door. Before it had even clattered to the dirt floor, her eyes had turned to Delinea, her entire body tensed. The young girl shrugged non-chillingly, an ambiguous look on her face, and rose to answer it. Selena quickly scooped the once clean pot up and deposited it distractedly into the basin of dirty dishes she had been cleaning. Absent-mindedly tugging at a strand of her determinedly haphazard brown red-brown hair, she darted to the rear of the small house looking for her brother. Already she could hear the sounds of her sister greeting whoever had been at the door.

"Jarrod!" she whispered fiercely. As per usual, he did not respond. Crossing her fingers that he and been intelligent enough to circumvent his habitual nightly roaming on this important night, she shoved the door to his room open with her hip. Her intrusion was greeted by a thud, a scream, and the scrambling of a naked village girl. Ignoring the flush that came to her own face, she turned her attention to her very need; very erect brother, who grimaced at her interruption. "Someone came to our door," she muttered hotly.

"So?" He didn't move to get dressed or hide himself. Not even his expression changed at her monumental news. The girl, however, gasped from her hiding place beneath his bed coverings.

"So!" Selena repeated, her voice rippling with frustration and irritation. "Do you even know what day it is?" He shrugged, disturbingly reminiscent of the reaction she had just gotten from Delinea.

"It's night now anyway. And yeah, I know. Do you expect me to wish you a happy birthing day or something? I don't remember hearing anything about it from you." Selena bit back the urge to scream, reminding herself that important people were now in their kitchen.

"Tell me, Jarrod, aside from our births, did anything else of note happen twenty years ago today?"

"Gods," now he rolled off the bed at last. He slid into his pants with remarkable and practiced ease. "Honestly, Selena, I thought you were smarter then that. Do you really buy into that whole Beast thing? Even if it were true, it would never be me. I'm not religious icon material." Selena snorted.

"You're right about that much. Get your damn shirt on and get out there. People don't knock on doors on this day, except for one reason. So just let them see enough of you to know you're not the one, so that they can move on." Her attitude had undergone a remarkable transformation, and she knew it. Yet, despite her words, she was not convinced. The monks. According to the legend, they did not make mistakes. How could it be him though? He shook his head and pulled his form-fitting shirt into its proper place.

"If that's what it will take to get you out of my hair." He turned to the girl. "I'll be right back. Don't get dressed." Selena rolled her eyes and headed back to the kitchen, her brother in tow.

"Took you long enough," Delinea muttered hostilely as they entered. Selena shot her a warning look. There were three monks seated at the make-shift table. They looked nothing, if not extremely uncomfortable, but upon Jarrod's arrival they all leapt to their feet and bowed lowly.

"The Hunter!" They exclaimed breathily. Jarrod shook his head and ran a hand through his hair to make sure it was properly messed. Selena had witnessed this behavior in him many times. She knew quite well what attitude went along with it and, had she been able to, would have blasted him with a fireball for it.

"Guess again. You can go bug the neighbors though. Their son is celebrating his twentieth today too." The monks stared at him in disbelief. After several moments of uncomfortable silence, one of them stepped forward.

"Forgiveness please, Jarrod Elcar. We were erroneous in our announcement perhaps. The Wise God gave his message one year ago today. It was said that we would find the Hunter in the village of Riza; this village. Then the Wise God burnt upon a piece of wood this image." With great flourish, the man drew from some pocket in his ropes what appeared, at first glance, to be nothing more then a common chunk of wood. As Selena leaned closer to get a better look at the image etched onto the flat surface, however, her stomach flipped.

It was Jarrod, as he had been just about the moment they had entered the house - stepping into his pants with a very annoyed look on his face.

If this bothered her brother, he hid it remarkably well. He simply smiled with hooded eyes and leaned back against the doorframe.

"Great likeness. Really, it's remarkable. But you guys don't want me. Trust me on this one. More importantly, I have no interest in playing the part for you. Now, if you'll excuse me, there is a trollop whose attention I find much more rewarding back in my room." There was a rise of murmuring, and the man Selena assumed to be the leader darted forward to grab Jarrod's right elbow to stop his retreat. This earned the man a withering glare, and he immediately backed off. Selena held her breath in expectation of the outburst she would have received at such an act. None came.

"It is important. We must reach an understanding on this!" The monk insisted, sounding much more confident then he looked. "You are right, perhaps. It is likely another would be preferable for this quest. We do not have another, though. We did not choose you. You simply are. You are the Hunter, no matter what anyone wishes. You always have been, always will be. This is the way of things." Jarrod scowled.

"Fine. You cling to that. Religious fervor suits you. You will not get anything from me for it though. So I suggest you find some way to get yourself a substitute." This time, when he turned to leave, there was no stopping him. He was out the door before anyone could protest. Delinea snickered and slid out behind him, presumably heading for the room she and Selena shared. The monks looked devastated. The leader slid the wood back into one of his pockets dejectedly.

"You, you are sure it must be him?" Selena murmured quietly. The lead monk turned to her quickly, as if he had only just noticed her presence. He stared at her for several awkward moments.

"You are his mother?" Selena flinched. Did she really look that old already?

"His twin."

"His-" The monk stared at her incredulously. She grimaced.

"Twin. That's right."

"How can that." He shook his head suddenly, as if clearing it of unwanted thoughts. "It does not matter. Child, you must help!" Now he stepped toward her and grabbed her hands. She resisted the urge to jerk them away as he clasped them between his own and continued. "It is your duty! You must convince him to accept his destiny! He must undertake this responsibility! For the sake of the world!" Selena hesitated. The phrase was just so. Had she not known better, she not known better, she would have brushed it off as over-dramatic and stupid. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that her family had anything to do with this. Letting the breath she had unknowingly been holding slide out from between her clenched teeth, she nodded. The monk's face lifted.

"I'll do what I can. What does he need to know to get this thing started?"

"Brother! No!" One of the other monks - a younger one - stepped forward with his face a bright red. "Tiamot! We cannot entrust this knowledge to a woman!"

"Brother Azir! Remember your place!" Though the lead monk's words were spoken softly, they carried the weight of someone who was accustomed to being listened to; the other slunk back, looking positively chagrined. Selena wasn't sure if she should be grateful. She kind of got the feeling the monk wasn't upset about her slight so much as the questioning of his control over the situation. At last, he turned his attention back to her.

"Now, child, it is important that you remember all of this. The fate of the world is hinging on that. The Hunter must seek the Weapons. There are, just as legend says, five of them. Each one is absolutely fundamental to his fate. They are vital in the defeat of the Beast. We cannot tell you the location of all five. The majority of them will be revealed upon the retrieval of the one before it. The weapons will be concealed, and they will be guarded. Once he has proven himself to the Guardian, they will give him what he needs as well as information about the next weapon." Selena's eyebrows knit. It sounded like some sort of colossal joke to her. Jarrod proving himself to some sort of mystical guardian? She'd probably have better luck getting him to gouge out his own eye.

"Fine. How does he find the first one then?"

"You are quite smart for a girl, to catch that so readily! I have faith in you! You will be successful in turning his heart! I am sure of it!" Selena swallowed back the angry retort. She could tell by the look in his eyes that the monk honestly believed he was complimenting her. Still, it was difficult not to tell him exactly what she thought of his faith. "Yes, you are correct. I do indeed know where to find the first Weapon. It is actually not a far journey. This Hunter is lucky in that! It is being held in the village of Tomston. That is a day's journey to the south. If you travel one hundred steps you-"

"I know where Tomston is."

"Yes, yes of course you do. Just make sure you tell him that there will be a trading caravan traveling there tomorrow afternoon, just incase he is uncertain."

"He'll be fine. Thank you."

"I am sure of it, my dear. Just in case, Azir will join him at the front gate of the village in two days. Tell the Hunter that, should he fail to make the appointment, light a signal fire. Azir will find him. Once the two have met, Azir will teach him what he needs to confront the first Guardian. Do you need me to repeat this for you dear? Please, do not be embarrassed. I am more then happy to assist. It is most important that he learn of all of this. Pride must not interfere with that. He must hear every detail."

"I've got it. You have not overwhelmed my foolish little head as of yet." Missing her sarcasm - or ignoring it - the monk grinned happily.

"Good girl! Indeed, I have great faith in you. Now then, tell him that, out of respect of his obvious dislike of the situation, I am allowing him these two days to himself. It is against proper procedure, but he must realize we are doing our best to make it as tolerable as possible for him. I am confident that you will convince him, and that he will come to appreciate our sacrifice."

"Oh yes. I'm sure Jarrod will be ever so grateful." The monk nodded, again apparently oblivious to the sarcasm. He hesitated a moment, probably figuring out a new way to unintentionally insult her. Thankfully, he said nothing. Just like that, they were gone, the door snapping shut behind them.

Selena dropped into one of the dinning chairs hard, slumping over the table and wrapping her head in her arms.

“Did they give up?” Delinea plopped down beside her, but Selena didn’t look up.

“I don’t think they know how to give up,” she muttered into her arms. Her sister laughed derisively.

“Yes they do. They’re monks. They give things up for a living.”

“Fine. You’re right. They do. They didn’t this time.”

“So we get to thank our very own brother for the destruction of the world. How exciting. We really are just so privileged. Do you think the locals will stone us, lynch us, or just keep us around to rape every now and then?”

Now Selena lifted her head, staring at her sister in anger and disgust. “What’s wrong with you? Why would they do that? It’s not Jarrod’s fault.”

“Nothing’s wrong with me. I’m right and you know it. You just don’t want to admit it. You never do. So much nicer to pretend I’m twisted, crazy and stupid, right? I’m not though. You’ll see. I know better then you and Jarrod both! Maybe the Beast isn’t his fault, but who’s to blame for no one going to stop him, eh? Of course, they won’t harm him. He’s special. They need him. So they’ll hate us instead. Don’t believe me? Just wait. I’m sure you’ll manage to find a way around it then too, though.” Selena scowled and debated the merits of telling Delinea to get over herself. Of course, the worst part was, Selena did know she was right. The villagers would turn on them when the harvest brought no relief from the coming famine, and when the bandit parties finally made their way to Riza.

“No. You’re wrong because I won’t let it happen.”

“What are you going to do? Face it; we’re just as helpless as all the men say we are. You can’t make him go. What are you going to do? Hog tie him and drag him around everywhere?”

“If I have to. If there’s no other way. I’m going to need your help though.”

“You’re serious!” Delinea’s eyes grew wide in surprise. This only served to heighten Selena’s resolve. A plan began to crystallize in her mind. She leaned closer to her younger sister and the two of them began whispering.

It was nearly an hour before Jarrod finally emerged from his room. From inside soft snores from the sleeping girl could only just be heard. Selena grinned grimly. Even if they did nothing, the girl would not be allowed to rest long. Jarrod never let his conquests stay the night. Selena almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

She followed him to their only bathroom, making no attempt to conceal her presence but not announcing herself either. Her brother ignored her up until the very moment he would have closed the door that opened into the bathroom itself.

“What?” he demanded harshly. Selena didn’t even blink at the sharpness of his voice. She was long accustomed to his foul moods.

“You really aren’t going, are you?”

“Of course not. Don’t be stupid. It makes me look bad.”

“Even after what happened to mother?”

“Don’t start in with the guilt trip, Selena. What happened to mom had nothing to do with me or some great and terrifying Beast. It was just life. People die. Plants die. People go hungry. People fight and steal. None of that is some Beast’s fault, and none of it is my problem.”

“But -”

“If I want a lecture from you, I’ll let you know. But you’re never going to convince me to risk my life on some meaningless religious journey in the hopes of inspiring goodness in people. I don’t believe it exists. Moreover, I’m not going to waste my time removing some king from power just because the church doesn’t like him and slapped some stupid label on him.”

“So,” Selena hesitated, her stomach knotting as his words sank in, “nothing I say will convince you? You’re willing to risk the whole world and everyone’s life just because you’re too lazy to give up being apathetic?”

“No and yes. Now, get lost and let me pee.”

“You’re pathetic.”

“Probably. So long as I keep getting laid, I really don’t – Urk.” Jarrod’s face went slack and he crumpled to a small heap on the floor. Delinea stepped out from her hiding place behind the open door, a scowl on her face.

“Thank the gods he is a creature of habit, eh?” Selena asked with a watery grin. Delinea shook her head.

“I’ll have you know, I just broke three different vows. My master is going to make me study until I’m thirty to make up for this little indiscretion. You and your brilliant scheme has just ruined my five year plan!”

“Oh, get over it. You’ll have broken a lot more by the time we’re finished. If it was such a big deal you should have said so earlier. Now it’s too late. He’ll know it was you when he wakes up. Besides, I’m sure Lord Marrod will be grateful for your actions once you explain them. He’ll probably let you take your exam early or something.”

“No. My master doesn’t listen to explanations. They’re just fancy excuses. Let’s get him tied up, since you’re so determined to follow this through no matter the outcome. I don’t have any desire to add the beating of my life onto my list of reasons I hate today.”

“Right. You get I’m, I’ll go get rid of the girl.”

“How is that fair?”

“If you’d rather do it the other way, fine. You go get rid of her, and I’ll start tying.”

“Whatever. Do whatever you want, just like always. I don’t care.”

“Delinea, now isn’t the time for this game of yours! You can do whichever one you want! Just do it!”

“Whatever! I don’t care!”

“Fine! You go get rid of her then. If she asks you who was at the door, tell her it was one of Jarrod’s friends playing a prank.”

“He has friends?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. She just has to believe it. If she doesn’t, she’ll tell the whole village and then we’ll never be able to pull this off.”

“What if he’s already told her?”

“It’s Jarrod. He didn’t tell her anything.”

“I won’t lie, Selena. I don’t lie.”

“Yeah you do,” Selena muttered to herself, “just never when you think you’ll get caught.” She paused, gathering what little remained of her patience. “It’s not entirely a lie. The idea of Jarrod bothering to save anything but his own ass is defiantly a joke, and I’m sure the monks would claim to be his friends. This is important, Delinea. If she runs off and tells people that we had visitors tonight, the whole village will be at our door in minutes. Even if we could convince them he wasn’t the Hunter at that point, we’d still be arrested for harming him. So if you can’t convince the girl it was nothing, you tie him and let me do it.”

“She’ll know I’m lying. She’d have to be an idiot not to.”

“The girl was screwing our brother during the Hunter’s Moon. She’s got to be an idiot.” Delinea hesitated a moment longer, then scowled angrily.

“Fine. I’ll sacrifice my moral code for you. Satisfied?” Before Selena could answer, Delinea had stopped off to take care of the issue. The second she was gone, Selena went to work on tying Jarrod down.